THE BEER NUT: Black Ale Project aims to help veterans

Wednesday

Mar 15, 2017 at 10:30 AM

Norman Miller Daily News Staff @Norman_MillerMW

Harvard resident Dave Pappas wanted to do something to help veterans.

A beer blogger (beer-journal.com), and a non-combat Persian Gulf War veteran, Pappas, 47, came up with the idea of the Black Ale Project, partnering with breweries to create beers to benefit veterans charities.

“I started researching and found there were 22 suicides a day by veterans, and there were two- to three-year waits for mental health help,” said Pappas. “I wanted to do something. Because of the blog, I spent a number of years at breweries and taprooms. I met and became friends and built a network with a lot of brewers. I wondered how I could leverage those contacts.”

Pappas’ original idea was to start a 501(c)(3) charity, but a lot of his initial helpers backed out and wading through all the paperwork and requirements proved difficult.

His next idea was the Black Ale Project. Instead of starting a charity, he began going to breweries to ask them to brew a black beer, any style, and donate all of, or some of, the proceeds to a veterans charity of their choice.

“What I am is a philanthropic facilitator,” said Pappas. “I’m not collecting money. I’m not taking donations. I’m not touching money in any shape or form. I’m just reaching out to people and asking them to do what they’re already doing, but to do it with charity.”

Although IPAs are the most popular style of craft beer, Pappas said doing something other than IPAs would attract more brewers.

“I picked black ales because I like dark beer and I thought it would give brewers who pay their bills with IPAs a chance to brew something different and have some fun,” Pappas said.

The idea would work, Pappas said, because people are already going to taprooms throughout the week and spending $6 or $7 on a pint of beer. The fact that one of those beers on tap would benefit a charity would attract buyers, he said.

So far, the idea has been a hit, with several breweries participating, he said. Medusa Brewing Company of Hudson was the first brewery to sign on, releasing their beer last September. They donated $7,100 to the New England Center and Home for Veterans.

Other breweries that have participated and the charities that they donated to are Wormtown Brewery of Worcester (Veterans Inc.), Stone Cow Brewery of Barre (Pets for Vets), Good Measure Brewing of Vermont (the Veteran’s Place), Prohibition Pig of Vermont (the Veteran’s Place) and 14th Star Brewing of Vermont (Purple Hearts Reunited).

Ideltime Brewing of Vermont just packaged a black ale that will raise money for veterans who have suffered brain injury. Lost Nation Brewing Company of Vermont will be participating and bottling a barrel-aged beer, and Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing of Framingham is currently barrel-aging a beer for the Black Ale Project.

Castle Island Brewing Company has just released cans of its beer they brewed for the Black Ale Project. Proceeds from The Bravest, an American dry stout, will benefit Building for America’s Bravest.

“My hope is to have this be an indefinite thing,” said Pappas. “I’m hoping some breweries will mae it an annual thing, kind of like the Ales for ALS. I’d love for it to go nationwide at some point. It’s New England centric, because that’s where my contacts are, but I’d love breweries all over the country to do it.”

For more information about the Black Ale Project, or if any breweries are interested in participating, go to blackaleproject.org.

Norman Miller is a Daily News staff writer. Email him at nmiller@wickedlocal.com or call 508-626-3823. Check out the Beer Nut blog at blogs.wickedlocal.com/beernut. Follow him on Twitter @RealBeerNut and on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerBeerNut.